Today I spent the morning looking through the museum's 'Oral Histories' for anything relating to women's needlework. There is a long history in Manchester connecting the Jewish community to the cloth industry beginning in the 16th Century with pedlars, shopkeepers and merchants and continuing through Manchester's Cottonopolis period and beyond with garment factories and tailors.
From looking at the oral histories catalogue there were many families with members working as machinists during the early half of the 1900's, however this wasn't really the strand of women's history I was after. I wanted to find any references to hand based crafts and domestic needlework.
This morning I also found the file of Rose Freidman who was born in 1907 and explained how her grandfather while living in the area of Strangeways in Manchester went into making lace (nicknamed 'Duddlework') as there was a big trend for it at the time. 'Kids would have it on their drawers, pinafores and dresses'. This career earned him a lot of money and he'eventually 'made good'. While not relating to the needlework of a woman, this does illustrate how popular the craft was and how it was an every day part of regular life.
Similarly Pearl Gollenbeck, a lady born in 1901 spoke of how needlework was still very fashionable back in her youth, and played a role in her marriage; ‘My trousseau, it was bought at Affleck’s, all the trousseau and me linen was made, and I had my initials put on, embroidered on, PG, like Pearl Gollenbeck, bolster cases, pillow cases', it had, 'bed covers with crocheted edges that my mother bought and crocheted insets. She made me such a marvellous trousseau, and tablecloths.’
I'm guessing that Pearl's trousseau was all shop bought including it's decorative inserts, however her mother was the person who curated it and put it together. This is an interesting example of women's roles evolving with the times and increasing financial circumstances. This could illustrate how needlework in the home was to eventually die out as an essential way of life as consumerism took hold.
Tackling the epic oral histories paper index took a little time, as I looked up every category I could think of relating to needle craft and women's roles. Finally I hit on something under 'women's work'. This turned out to be a rather sweet recording from 1976 of the Misses Louise and Sarah Aronovitch who were both born in the 1880s.
They spoke of how as youngsters living in Plymouth Grove in Manchester they would meet at the houses of other Jewish girls every Sunday to 'do sewing', making frocks to take to the Jews' School and hand out to the girls there. Their father would provide the material and wool. As they put it, ‘We started what we thought we ought to do, you see?'. Louise later took up nursing and went on to become a doctor, a rarity for that era especially for a woman from a minority background.
They spoke of how as youngsters living in Plymouth Grove in Manchester they would meet at the houses of other Jewish girls every Sunday to 'do sewing', making frocks to take to the Jews' School and hand out to the girls there. Their father would provide the material and wool. As they put it, ‘We started what we thought we ought to do, you see?'. Louise later took up nursing and went on to become a doctor, a rarity for that era especially for a woman from a minority background.
Louise with German POWs at 2nd Western General Hospital
On the digital archive I found a couple of other small references about 1900's Manchester women being taught embroidery lessons at Hebrew School as well as other needlework including lace, knitting and crochet. This was something they seemed to look back on fondly but did not elaborate further.
This morning I also found the file of Rose Freidman who was born in 1907 and explained how her grandfather while living in the area of Strangeways in Manchester went into making lace (nicknamed 'Duddlework') as there was a big trend for it at the time. 'Kids would have it on their drawers, pinafores and dresses'. This career earned him a lot of money and he'eventually 'made good'. While not relating to the needlework of a woman, this does illustrate how popular the craft was and how it was an every day part of regular life.
Similarly Pearl Gollenbeck, a lady born in 1901 spoke of how needlework was still very fashionable back in her youth, and played a role in her marriage; ‘My trousseau, it was bought at Affleck’s, all the trousseau and me linen was made, and I had my initials put on, embroidered on, PG, like Pearl Gollenbeck, bolster cases, pillow cases', it had, 'bed covers with crocheted edges that my mother bought and crocheted insets. She made me such a marvellous trousseau, and tablecloths.’
I'm guessing that Pearl's trousseau was all shop bought including it's decorative inserts, however her mother was the person who curated it and put it together. This is an interesting example of women's roles evolving with the times and increasing financial circumstances. This could illustrate how needlework in the home was to eventually die out as an essential way of life as consumerism took hold.
While not exactly bulging with stories about needlework, the few snippets I did find in the museum's archive gave an insight to a world very different from today, where women were naturally inclined to stitch or be involved with the needle process in some way even keeping the selection and buying of stitched goods in the female circle . When the craft took a side step into commercial industry it then became the realm of men, and I did find many other references to men in the tailoring and cloth manufacturing trade.
This makes me wonder if women's craft is less valued because hand stitching is not seen as profitable. Interestingly this was something that was echoed by the Women's Textile Group who I met on Monday. When asked why they thought women's stitching wasn't given a biiger platform they answered, 'it's "professionalism" verses home orientated arts and crafts'.
However, I have seen the time and effort that many women put into the items they made for the Synagogue and the home and what an important role they play in the Jewish community's faith and identity. Perhaps it is the language of stitching used for ceremony that gives it an added gravitas.
This makes me wonder if women's craft is less valued because hand stitching is not seen as profitable. Interestingly this was something that was echoed by the Women's Textile Group who I met on Monday. When asked why they thought women's stitching wasn't given a biiger platform they answered, 'it's "professionalism" verses home orientated arts and crafts'.
However, I have seen the time and effort that many women put into the items they made for the Synagogue and the home and what an important role they play in the Jewish community's faith and identity. Perhaps it is the language of stitching used for ceremony that gives it an added gravitas.
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